Google Tasks vs Reminders: Todo List & Notes

Google Tasks

• People who already work in Gmail and Google Calendar
• Anyone who wants a basic to-do list at no cost
• Google Workspace teams assigning tasks from Chat spaces and Docs

Reminders: Todo List & Notes

• People who want a plain reminders app with no adverts
• Android users who rely on home screen widgets and alarms
• Buyers who would pay once for sync instead of subscribing

Google Tasks

• Assigning tasks from Google Docs is marked as a premium feature for some Workspace Business and Enterprise plans.
• Shared tasks cannot have subtasks and cannot repeat.
• No desktop app is listed: Google offers Tasks in the browser and as Android and iOS apps.
• On work or school accounts, an administrator controls whether Tasks is available.

Reminders: Todo List & Notes

• The web app, automatic cloud backup and sync between devices all need Premium.
• The vendor's site gives no prices and points to the in-app upgrade screen; the prices here are from the US App Store listing.
• The App Store lists two Lifetime upgrade purchases, at $49.99 and $69.99, without saying how they differ.
• There is no desktop app: on a computer the only option is the Premium web app.

Google Tasks

Tasks on Google Calendar

A task with a date and time appears on Google Calendar and triggers a reminder. A duration can be added and the time marked as busy.

Tasks from Gmail

An email can be turned into a task without leaving Gmail, and the task links back to the original message.

Lists, subtasks and stars

Separate lists hold different projects or topics. Larger tasks break down into subtasks, tasks reorder by drag and drop, and stars mark the important ones.

Repeating tasks and nudges

Tasks can repeat daily, weekly, monthly or annually. Nudges keep surfacing a reminder until the task is completed.

Shared tasks in Chat and Docs

Tasks can be assigned to teammates in a Google Chat space. Assigning from a Google Doc needs a work or school account on an eligible Workspace plan.

Gemini and the Tasks API

The Gemini app can add, edit and show tasks on request. Developers can read and update tasks through a REST API or automate them with Apps Script.

Reminders: Todo List & Notes

Lists, tags and priorities

Tasks are grouped into color-coded lists and can carry a priority, a star, tags and notes. Items are reordered by drag and drop, and a quick-add bar skips the detail screen.

Notifications and alarms

A reminder fires once or on a recurring schedule such as daily or weekly, and can arrive as a notification or as an alarm.

Built-in and custom filters

Today, All, Starred and Calendar lists come built in. Custom filters combine criteria, for example high-priority reminders due in the next 7 days, or every task with a given tag.

Calendar view and widgets

A calendar view shows tasks by day. On Android, resizable home screen widgets display any list or one day of the calendar.

Premium backup, sync and web app

Premium backs data up to the cloud automatically, syncs phones and tablets across Android and iOS, and opens the same lists in a browser.

Privacy and manual backup

The vendor says data is encrypted on the device, in transit and in the cloud and is never shared or sold. A Backup/Restore option in Settings saves a local file.

Google Tasks

• Personal Google Account$0

  Tasks on the web and in the free Android and iOS apps, with lists, subtasks, repeating tasks and Calendar reminders.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace for up to 300 users with 30 GB pooled storage per user. Tasks comes bundled with Gmail, Calendar, Chat and Docs.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)

  Google Workspace with 2 TB pooled storage per user and shared drives.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace with 5 TB pooled storage per user.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For companies with more than 300 users; priced through Google sales and resellers.

Reminders: Todo List & Notes

• Free$0

  Unlimited lists, tasks and tags, reminders and alarms, home screen widgets, custom filters and themes, with no adverts.

• Monthly subscription$1.99

  per month

  Premium: the web app, automatic encrypted cloud backup and sync between devices on Android, iOS and the web.

• Yearly subscription$19.99

  per year

  The same Premium features billed once a year.

• Lifetime upgrade$49.99

  one-time purchase

  Premium paid once. The App Store lists two Lifetime upgrade purchases, at $49.99 and $69.99, without explaining the difference.

Google Tasks

• Annual discount

  Lower Workspace rate with a 1-year commitment

  Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan versus $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.

• Nonprofit

  Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0 per user, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Workspace Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals is available at no charge to qualifying institutions.

Reminders: Todo List & Notes

• Annual discount

  Yearly subscription costs about 16% less

  The App Store lists the monthly subscription at $1.99 and the yearly one at $19.99, against $23.88 for twelve monthly payments.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime upgrade from $49.99

  Premium can be bought once in place of a subscription. The App Store lists Lifetime upgrade purchases at $49.99 and $69.99.